This blog stems from the result of the events from an incident in DCPSconcerning the questionable use of email. Teachers, administrators andsupport personnel of any school, should understand that the resourcesprovided are NOT intended for personal use, but the use for educational purposes in communication and transferring of data.This blog in NO WAY blames, nor accuses anyone of any actions, justhighlights the events from news stories and Internet links as a teachingopportunity for others in the field of education. When using electroniccommunication any professional no matter what field of professionshould be careful, cautions and vigilant in the use of equipment andresources for communication in any online environment.

Educational professionals as professionals in other careers at times dospeak before they think and in some recent cases click before they think. Teachers have been disciplined to various degrees because of lack offore thought in sending and forwarding emails that seem inappropriate,insensitive and potentially racially/culturally charged. As a SchoolTechnology Contact and teacher of Educational Technologyin higher education I remind and reinforce for by educational peers andstudents the importance of being cautious with electronic communication.

There has been an incident of a teacher's possible suspension for a potentiallycontroversial email. Any situation that puts an educator, administrator orother school employee at risk for disciplinary action, suspension, reprimandor firing is a learning opportunity for everyone. Students learn from theirmistakes in the classroom so educators must learn from the mistakes of their professional peers.

A recent story by Topher Sanders; that a teacher in DCPS maybe suspendedfor bad judgement and inappropriate actions in replying/forwardingan email.The incident relates to a forwarded email in January (yes January)ridiculing a supposed Louisiana mother and child for the child having anunusual name. In the email, the original author says the mother was upsetbecause her child’s name is often mispronounced. The email’s contents havebeen circulating on the web since at least 2008 (yes 2008). Informationon the web never goes away.

This shows that as in other blogs I’ve written about the permanency of digitalcontent that information on the Internet does not go away. It is always therebacked up or housed on a server or someone body’s computer some place.Emails, photos, videos, movies, tweets, texts and so on are stored some place.Words, phrases, and comments can be misunderstood, misinterpreted andmisquoted when the content is text and audio in an online environment.

Educators must be careful when posting, forwarding and replying becauseTHEIR original intent in the message or their reply may be misunderstood.Once the Send button is clicked it is more than “My Bad” it can lead to legaland professional challenges. Just as students are asked during discussions inclassroom learning “is that really what you want to say” or something similar,can be applied to teachers and electronic communication.

In the email in question, the email ends with the phrase “they live among us,they vote, and they breed.” Worse things have been potentially stated aboutgroups, but the statement may imply a particular rationality and ideology.Teachers must be careful that they as professional educators, leaders of childrenand community influencers, educator’s actions just as police, attorneys,doctors and other professionals in the public eye are scrutinized harderand closer.

The statement by the DCPS employee as it was forwarded was “Sounds likesome of ours?” The only person that truly knows the intention of the textcomment was the teacher, but the interpretation was taken.

There is always room for caution when replying to or forwarding anyelectronic communication. In a personal note I have selected Reply All instead of Reply only to be told later of my error. When the Send buttonis clicked it is too late. That message cannot be recalled, so teachers, administrators and others in education be careful, think before you click.As a result there is much discussion about the intent of the forward message.Even when realizing a mistake it takes more than an apology as can be seenby this case. When something is interpreted as inappropriate by others noamount of apology, asking for leniency, forgiveness and mercy sometimes will not help.

Teachers as in this case must remember that email accounts and equipmentare not for personal use, so in the minds of all; any information can be pulledfrom a person’s account when needed. So all digital content can be found out; logs about web sites visited, when, how often, and either from work or if a educator or administrator takes their computer home these can be identifiedas well. Computers have web histories, cookies, cache, favorites, history andother digital reminders built into web browsers and software.The potential for reprimands, firing, suspension, and disciplinary letters in professional folders should be on the minds of those in education. Is yourcareer worth that joke, quick remark or sly comment? Do you need your faceand your family’s name on the news because of an online comment about astudent, a student’s family or another teacher?

A teacher needs to make sure of how their actions are interpreted. If the

situation permits advice from other professionals should be asked that anycommunication is not considered intended to ridicule and denigrate a culturalminority, person, or group. We live in a time where people especially parentsare very sensitive about their children’s name. Any type of criticism can bemet with legal actions. Respect should always be shown to parents andchildren. Familiarization with a child’s background, name, parental legalitiesand more should be understood, if not ask first..

Techer’s work together to make sure children are successful, so teachers,administrators, and other school personnel be mindful of the responsibility as a role model and mentor. We do not have the leasurly to let our guardsdown in our high profile careers. Technology can be a vital tool, but is can also be a curse and bring back past mistakes. Be cautious, be educatedand be aware.